Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1887-06-16
WOMEN WHO SCREAM.
Professional Female Blackmailers and the wav
They Practice Their Soulless Articles.


devote their lives to the practice Of the
most infamous species of extortion.
They have not been very fortunate in
Chicago for many years, because of
several exposures, but that rich men are
frequently blackmailed here now is GER
tain. These women, as rule, select for
their victims men who have at some time
or other laid themselves open to suspicion
or remark, and who are therefore doubly
sensitive to scandal, Or men who natural
ly fear the slightest reflection upon their
good names, and who, rather than take a
bold stand, will pay out money to these
INSCRIPTIONS sharpers.
Many of these invade the Offices of
lawyers and business men as agents Tor
the sale of various portable articles.
Stories of their nefarious exploits are
heard on every hand but they are seldom
published.
Human nature is such that it is ready
to believe the worst of mankind. and
thus the man of spotless life and the wo-
man of whitest sanctity, but strange
and weird exigency, become the unconsc
ious confederates Of the female black
mailer. These a1venturessess pretend to
be widows of soldiers seeking pension,
or they are gathering subscriptions for
ling books or works of art or stationery
in fact, almost any pretense is used for
the purpose of seeing the banker, mer-
chant, or lawyer alone.
1t may seem, surprising that lawyer
could be entrapped, but it has been done.
The case of Alexander Hamilton is his
torical. He was entrapped by voIup-
tu0us woman and acceded to some of her
demands for money, but when she and
her pretended husband went too far he
confessed the whole matter in q public
letter, at the same time Indignantly
denying that he had ever used his place
as secretary of the treasury, which he
then held, to further the intrestS of the
schemers. That letter twitched the fangs
from the serpent's mouth, and Alexander
Hamilton died, as he had lived, the idol
of the people.
The case of a young New York lawyer
came up but short time ago. He had a
large practice in civil cases, but knew
nothing of the criminal classes. The
adventures in this case was a handsome
woman of 80, we'll dressed, and modest in
demeanor. He subscribed for the engrav-
ings and she delivered them weekly.
After the third call the clerk heard g
dispute between the woman and the lawy-
er in the private office. The woman's
voice was angry and threatening; the law
yers, in a lower one, was pleading and ex-
postulating. She left ina few minutes, ap-
parently in O state of great excitement.
The LAWYER, 1T was noticed, became ner-
vous and preoccupied. The woman called
every week for four months. Then the
young lawyer consulted another in the
criminal practice, revealed the fact that
Of hat J, ird oil VIII "a a
for the purpose of leaving the engravings,
she had asked for 500 as gift. If he
refused she would GO to has wife, to whom
he had been married only two years, and
tell her that she had been in the habit of
calling on him, and that he had conducted
himself in an iEaproper manner He had
at first refused to give her the money,
and had defied her to do her utmost.
She left her address,, however, and said
that if she did not receive the money by
noon the next day she would carry her
threat into execution. HE was squand-
ary.
Before IL o'clock the next day, however
he had decided that it would be better
to pay the $25 week as the price of her
silence He weekly paid it for abent four
months, and thea called in the assistance
of a criminal lawyer, who st once sent a
of the woman who was 80 come that
day.
When the woman came tae detectives
head was bent over a desk in the outer
office, apparently engaged in clerical
work He recognized her at once as an
adventures we'll known to the police.
He allowed her to enter the lawyers pri-
vate Office, get her weekly blackmail, and
leave without scene. When she stepped
into the elevator he followed. She recog-
nized him with black look of astonish-
ment. He did not address her until they
reached the street and the other passen
gers In the elevator were out of hearing
Then he said so her;
''Well, Mollie, see you are a6 your Old
tricks again, amt you9"
She did not reply.
Then he added:
Il will trouble you to give me that S25
you have in your pocket"
The woman gave it up.
Now" said the detective, az s00 go
ing home with you, Noble. Where do
you liver"
They took the elevated road and went
to handsome flat uptown. The door
was opened by an old woman, apparently
the younger woman's mother. and she
also had a servant The surroundings
were attractive; everything had the ap
pearance of refined and respectable
home. The detective said to the adven-
turess:
"Now, am going to search the house
for the money you have taken from the
man downtown"
4'Oh: don't do that" she answered. II
will give you all that have" And she
soon broGght him about $50. Then the
detective left. He knew that he could
get no more and that if he arrested her
there would necessarily be unwelcome
publicity for her victim. The lawyer
was never troubled thereafter. The same
woman is still at work on other victims.
Those who have been blackmailed do not
publicly complain, and thus women of
that class prey on society almost with i'm
punlty. clergyman paid blackmail for
long time before he invoked the aid of
his friends. A merchant payed black
mail once when woman thrust herself
into his private Office and threatened to
scream if ne did not He nayer maid